Electrically lighted gasoline station toy



May 12, 1936. L. MARX ELECTRIGALLY LIGHTED GASOLINE STATION TOY Filed 'Jan. 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IINVENTOR Lows Marx ATTORNEYS May 312, 1936 RX ELEGTRICALLY LIGHTED GASOLINE STATION TOY Filed Jan. 25

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ]NVENTOR Lou Is Marx ATTORNEYS Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC ELECTRICALLY LIGHTED GASOLINE STATION TOY 8 Claims.

This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to an electrically lighted gasoline station toy.

The general object of my invention resides in the provision of a toy gasoline station which will be realistic in appearance and operation. More particular objects reside in the provision of simulated gasoline pumps, a toy lift or, elevatable greasing rack, a portable pump, as for lubricating oil, and other accessories such as an air pump, which are customarily found at these stations. Still further objects center about the provision of electric lighting equipment for the toy, and are to illuminate the gasoline pumps in a manner resembling the lighted sign or advertisement ordinarily found on such pumps; to illuminate the lift or greasing stand; and to provide appropriate switch mechanisms for automatically illuminating the lift whenever it is elevated, and for optionally illuminating the pumps when desired.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the toy gasoline station elements as well as their combination and relation one to another, as hereinafter are more particularlydescribed in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing one form of 0 toy gasoline station embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken in the plane of the line 3-3 in Fig. 2. Referring to the drawings the toy gasoline station comprises a base I2 having mounted thereon a building I4, a battery casing I6, a plurality of gasoline pumps 18, a lift or elevatable greasing stand 20, and other accessories including in the present case the compressed air stand 22, the

portable 24, and water cans 26.

Considering the toy in greater detail, the base I2 is preferably made of sheet metal and flanged to form a curb 30 which is preferably pressed downwardly or cut away at 32 leading to the lift in order not to unduly obstruct the driving of a toy automobile up onto the lift.

The house or building I 4 is made of sheet metal walls secured to the base by appropriate tongue and slot connections, and a roof member similarly secured to the side walls by tongue and slot connections. In the present case the building may be opened by doors 34 and 36 forming the front wall of the building. The doors may be locked in closed position by an appropriate latch 38 controlled by a handle 40. This construction permits the child to place appropriate furniture and fittings in the building.

The battery casing It comprises a transversely curved sheet metal member i2 closed at one end 5 by an insulation member 44 carrying a terminal 46 which bears against one end of a battery cell 48, and closed at its opposite end by a switch carrying lug or arm 50. The casing is preferably dimensioned to receive and hold in end to end con- 10 tacting relation two battery cells 48 and 52 of the flashlight type. The support 59 carries pivotally mounted thereon a switch arm 54 having an inturned end 55 adapted to bear against the zinc base of the cell 52 when the switch is closed. Switch arm 54 is preferably grounded, and, inasmuch as the circuits are preferably made single wire circuits, this grounding action energizes the illumination system of the toy.

The battery housing I6 is preferably located just behind the building l4 in order to partially, conceal the same. The housing might, of course, be located in the building, thus concealing the same entirely, but I prefer to locate the same outside the'building in order to provide play room in the building, as previously described, and for the further reason that the battery housing may itself be considered as simulating a tank at the gasoline station, as, for example, a compressed air tank supplying compressed air to the stand 22. 0 v

Each pump I8 comprises an upright hollow sheet metal bodymember secured to the base" by appropriate tongue and slot connections and closed at its upper end by a top or cover 62. The pump is further provided with a flexible rubber tube or strand 64 simulating a gasoline hose and .having at its free end a. nozzle simulating member 66. The side wall of the pump is preferably provided with means to receive and hold the nozzle 66, and in the present case this takes the form of a keyhole type slot 68 intowhich the end of the nozzle 66 may be passed and then moved downwardly to anchor the same in place.

The top 62 of the pump body is provided with an electric light bulb socket 70 one which is'preferably grounded to the pump body, and the other terminal of which is connected by e an insulated wire which extends downwardly through the pumpubody and beneath the base to the terminal 46' of the battery casing. These Wires are-clearly shown at12 and 14 in Fig. 2-. The sockets 10 havescrewed thereinto the bulbs 16. These bulbs are preferably given a circular outline with flat sides in simulation of the advertising signs ordinarily provided at the top of 55 terminal of 45 these gasoline pumps. Instead of providing a bulb within a flat circulalr casing, the evacuated bulb or envelope is itself given the desired configuration, said slot being so dimensioned as to freely receive the nozzle at the enlarged part of the slot, but to hold the nozzle at the narrow 7 in profile, to provide inclined approach surfaces 84 clearly shown in Fig. 1, and symmetrically inclined ends 86 so that a toy automobile when run onto the lift will remain in place. The ends i 86 are closed by flanges 88, but these flanges are, l

of course, omitted from the approach ends 84.

The elevatable part of the'lift is mounted on base I2 by'a parallelogram movement formed by arms pivoted attheir'lower ends on the base andpivoted at their upper ends on the lift.

Specifically, one end of the lift ismounted on a bent stiff wire 90 having outwardly bent lower ends journaled in lugs 92 struck upwardly from base I2, while the upper part of wire 90 is journaled in lugs 94 struck downwardly from rails 80. The other end of the lift is similarly carried by a bent wire 96 journaled in bottom lugs 98 and in top lugs I00. -Wire 96 is projected at one end to form an operating lever I02 which may be manually operated to elevate the lift. The opposite end of wire 96 is also preferably extended and appropriately bent to form a member I04 which acts as a stop limitingthe turning,

movementof thelift supporting arms when these arms are raisedfrom a substantially horizontal position to a'position a little beyond vertical dead c'ent'r. With this construction thelift remains stable in elevated positionuntil lowered by manipulation of the control lever I02. Thel'ift. is preferably illuminated by an electri V i light bulb I 06. This bulb is received in a groundtionsrithe blade llifancho'red at one end and 5 and another eyelet I22 tov which the wire H0 is; I connected and which acts as a contact cooperatpressed air stand 22, whichneeds no detailedgdeed support or, socket I08. The insulated termina l of the socket is connected by wires 1 I0 1 and 2'. extending beneath base I2 to the common terminal. of the battery housing. It is desirable to, illuminate the lift ,only when using the same, andithe circuit'to lamp' I06 ispreferablyinterrupted'by a series switch I I4. -In ac-, cordance witha further'fe'at ure of the present the. switch .I I 4 is automatically closed Whene r'jthe lift isf.elevated; .With this 011-;-

invention ject in yiew the switch .blade' .I'I8 istpreferably 7 made resilient..anddepressible.from: a-norrnal V open-circuited-,position to close the. :lamp cire cuit. The blade I I6 is positioned in the. path of the stop member I04!" This is provided at its end with appropriate insulationl I8.?' The switch -I I4,

as is best shown in Figs. 2 and"3 ;consists of an insulation rnember securedtothe sheet metal base I2 by, appropriate tongue and slot connecconnected to"wire, I I2 by a rivet or eyelet I20;

ing withithe blade I IE... it will be manifest that when theliftis elevated, the stop lfl4 bears downwardly ,,againstswitch I I6, closing the same and lighting the lamp I05.

g; a oline station also includes the coinscription, ,and also,,the portable oil pump 24.

This consists of a rectangulapsided body mounted on a base plate I30having wheels I3'2.- The spindle of the front wheel I32 maybe prolonged to form the pull handle I34. The tank or body is surmounted by a pump member I36 having an operating crank arm I38 thereon. The base I2 of the toy is preferably provided with slots I 40, best shown in Fig. 2, for partially receiving the wheels I32 of the portable, thereby anchoring the same in its normal position. It will be understood that the portable may be intentionally moved out of the slots I40 and handled like a regular portable.

It is believed that the mode of constructing and qusing, as well as the many advantages of my gasoline station toy, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. The toy with is openable house, its realistic gasoline pumps, its portable oil pump, and its elevatable greasing stand, possesses extensive play value apart from the electrical equipment. This play valueas well as the realism of the toy are greatly enhanced by the addition of the electric lighting equipment.

It will be understood that various combinations of the component parts of a gasoline station may be employed and these components may be, dif-" preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the complete structure disclosed as well as in the component parts thereof, withferently arranged and located on the base of the toy. It will accordingly be apparent that while 1' I have shown and described my invention'in a out departing from the spirit of the invention,

defined in the following claims. I claim:

1. In a toy gasoline station, a pump comprising an upright hollow body member made of, sheet metal, a flexible rubber hose simulating member leading therefrom, a simulated nozzle at the end of the. hose 'member, and a keyhole type slotin. one of the side Wallsof the body for receiving and holding the nozzle member when not in use, said keyhole slot being so. dimen-L sioned as to freely receive the nozzle at the en- 'larged part or the slot, but to hold the nozzle at the narrow part of a the. slot.

thereof, a lamp bulb having the flat circular,

such pumps, the base ofsaid lamp being received in said socket and a conductor leading from the socket downwardly through the pump andbe neath the base to the battery casing.

,3. A toy gasoline station comprising a metallic building mounted thereon, a battery housing ,concealed by said building, and one or more simshape of the advertising sign ordinarily used, ,on 7

base, a building simulating a gasoline station 'ulated gasoline pumps mounted on said base 'each of said pumps comprising an upright body member having a grounded electric light socket at the upper end thereof, a bulb having the flat leading from the socket downwardly through the pump and beneath the base to one terminal of x the battery casing, and a switch for grounding.

the other terminal of said casing.

4. A-toy gasoline station comprising ametallie base, a simulated building mounted thereon, a

plurality of simulated gasoline pumps mounted battery housing partially concealed thereby, a"

thereon, and other simulated accessories, each of said pumps comprising an upright body member having a grounded electric light socket at the upper end thereof, a bulb having the flat circular shape of the advertising sign ordinarily used on such pumps, an insulated conductor leading from the socket downwardly through the pump and beneath the base to one terminal of the battery casing, a switch for grounding the other terminal of said casing, a flexible rubber hose simulating member leading from the pump body, a simulated nozzle at the end of the hose member, and a bayonet type slot in the side of the pump body for receiving the nozzle member, said keyhole slot being so dimensioned as to freely receive the nozzle at the enlarged part of the slot, but to hold the nozzle at the narrow part of the slot. 7

5. A toy automobile lift comprising a base, channeled guide rails, and means for elevating the same, said means including four bent wire arms pivotally mounted at their lower ends on the base and at their upper ends on the guide rails and forming a parallelogram movement, and an integral extension on one arm bent to form a handle for operating said arms to elevate the lift.

6. A toy automobile lift comprising a base, a battery housing, channeled guide rails, and means for elevating the same, an electric light bulb for illuminating the space beneath the lift, a switch near said lift, wiring interconnecting the bulb, the switch and the battery casing, and means for automatically closing the switch whenever the lift is elevated.

7. A toy automobile lift comprising a base, a battery housing, channeled guide rails, and means for elevating the same, said means including bent wire arms mounted at the lower ends on the base and at the upper ends on the guide rails and forming a parallelogram movement, an extension of one arm being formed into a handle for elevating the lift, an electric light bulb for illuminating the space beneath the lift, a switch near said lift, wiring interconnecting the bulb, the switch and the battery casing, and an extension of one arm being formed into means for automatically closing the switch whenever the lift is elevated.

8. A toy automobile lift comprising a sheet metal base having four bearing lugs struck upwardly therefrom in rectangular formation, a sheet metal elevatable support including two collaterally disposed guide rails interconnected by two transverse spacer members, said rails and spacer members being flanged to strengthen and rigidify the support and to channel the guide rails, four bearing lugs struck downwardly from said support, two rods each bent to U shape with outwardly turned ends, the center and end portions of said rods being received in the aforesaid bearing lugs of the support and base and forming four arms constituting a parallelogram movement for elevating the support from or lowering the support to the base, and an integral extension on one of said rods bent to form a handle for elevating or lowering the support.

LOUIS MARX. 

